Google stops scanning copyrighted books

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Stung by a publishing industry backlash, Google has halted its
efforts to scan copyrighted books from some of America's largest
university libraries so the material can be indexed in its leading
internet search engine.

The company announced the suspension, effective until November,
in a
notice posted on its website just before midnight on Thursday
by Adam Smith, the manager of its ambitious program to convert
millions of books into a digital format.

"We think most publishers and authors will choose to participate
in the publisher program in order (to) introduce their work to
countless readers around the world," Smith wrote. "But we know that
not everyone agrees, and we want to do our best to respect their
views too."

Google wants publishers to notify the company about copyrighted
books they don't want scanned, effectively requiring the industry
to opt out of the program instead of opting in.

That approach rankled the Association of American
Publishers.

"Google's announcement does nothing to relieve the publishing
industry's concerns," Patricia Schroeder, the trade group's
president, said in a statement on Friday. "Google's procedure
shifts the responsibility for preventing infringement to the
copyright owner rather than the user, turning every principle of
copyright law on its ear."

Google wants to scan copyright-protected books from three major
American libraries - Harvard, Michigan and Stanford.

The company also is scanning books stored at the New York Public
Library and Oxford University, but those two libraries so far are
providing Google only with "public domain" works - material no
longer protected by copyrights.

Google hasn't disclosed how many books it has scanned since it
first announced the program eight months ago. The company expects
to be scanning books for at least five years - and probably
much longer if it can persuade other libraries around the world to
participate.

The project troubles publishers because they fear making digital
versions of copyrighted books available on the internet could open
the door to unauthorised duplication and distribution, as happens
in the music industry.

Publishers are also upset that Google might be able to generate
more advertising revenue by offering an index of copyrighted books
and so far hasn't offered to pay any royalties for its potential
financial gains. Google ranks among the internet's most profitable
companies, having earned $US712 million ($A922 million) on revenue
of $US2.6 billion during the first half of this year.

Google executives have positioned the scanning project as a
largely altruistic endeavour that will make it easier for people
around the world to read the valuable - and often rare -
material stockpiled in libraries. The company hasn't disclosed how
much the project will cost, but it is expected to require a
substantial investment.